Rowan Williams starts day with Buddhist ritual

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Lord Williams said he draws daily inspiration from the practicePaul Rogers/The Times

Nicky Harley

Published at 12:01AM, July 3 2014

The former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has revealed that his secret to gaining “inspiration” is to perform 40 minutes of Buddhist-influenced prayer a day.

Lord Williams said his intense daily routine consists of pacing, squatting and repeating an Eastern Orthodox prayer while performing breathing exercises. It also involves an early morning ritual of silent meditation and prayer.

In an article for the New Statesman, Lord Williams said he draws daily inspiration from the practice, common to both the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, of meditating while repeatedly reciting the “Jesus Prayer”, which says: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,